You will need to sign on with your LLLID (La Leche League ID) before you can post. If you have never claimed your LLLID, create your LLLID now. To sign in, click the LLLID Sign On button in the upper right corner. Enter your LLLID Alias and click the button again.

Water when starting solids?

Hi, New to this forum, wondering why I didn't do this earlier...

DS is 6 months old and showing all signs of readiness for solids (Baby-led solids book). We started him off this Monday with banana and have gone to do steamed zucchini, roasted sweet potato and steamed red bell-pepper. He is enjoying the new textures, though gets very little food in his mouth. I'm not worried since he BFs well before dinner and then before going to bed. In total, he BFs about 3 times during the day and takes 3 bottles (4 oz each) of expressed BM (I've gone back to work full-time).

My question is do I need to start giving him water with his "dinner". Before introducing solids, he used to poop twice a day, a "good" amount. Since this Tuesday, he poops once in the morning, that too very little and very sticky, solid-y. We do EC and he poops on his little potty. No grunting, red-face etc. while pooping. He pees at his usual routine.

Re: Water when starting solids?

His pooping will change when you add in solids because his body is still learning to digest things other than BM. If he is not overly straining and his poop is not dry or pellet like, he is doing fine. If he does seem to have problems you can add in foods like prunes that loosen the stool.

Re: Water when starting solids?

I did start offering Joe water in a sippy cup around the time he started solids, but mostly just for fun, not to address constipation. For that, breastmilk is actually quite a bit more effective than water anyway. If he gets really constipated (I agree that his stools are bound to look different, but if it's still pretty frequent, he's not in pain, and it's not actually dry and hard, it's probably more just getting adjusted to solids than true constipation), I'd probably just back off solids a little bit. I think banana can be constipating.

You can call me JoMo!

Mom to baby boy Joe, born 5/4/09 and breastfed for more than two and a half years, and baby girl Maggie, born 7/9/12.